


Reticient Dignity

by AmatureWriter



Series: Eret, Son of Eret Learns to Believe He Deserves Happiness [1]
Category: How to Train Your Dragon (Movies)
Genre: ALL OF IT, Abuse, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Anxiety, Because He was Abused By That Asshole, Berk (How to Train Your Dragon), Child Abuse, Childhood Memories, Childhood Trauma, Depression, Drago Bludvist Being an Asshole, Eret Is Insecure About Himself, Eret Is Trying, Eret Wants To Leave Berk, Fluff and Angst, Fuck Drago Bludvist, Give Him Some Slack, He Just Hates Himself, Heavy Angst, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III Being A Supportive Friend, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III Being Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III, Hurt Eret, I Love Hurting My Faves, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Jokes, Night Terrors, Past Abuse, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Protective Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III, References to Depression, Skullcrusher Being A Supportive Dragon, Stabbing, Trying to be friends, Verbal Abuse, What Have I Done, You Need A Nap, he needs a nap, in the past, it's what i live for
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-28
Updated: 2020-04-28
Packaged: 2021-03-01 17:01:43
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,865
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23900503
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AmatureWriter/pseuds/AmatureWriter
Summary: Eret, Son of Eret, is trying to integrate into Berk's tight community, but his insecurities and past are creating a strong wall and it's beginning to close in on him. He can no longer sleep, instead choosing to explore Berk and get lost in his thoughts. Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III, the new chief of Berk, is worried about their newest resident to Berk. And, being the type of person he is, tries his best to help whenever he can, but Eret pushes him away. Until one night he no longer has the energy to continue pushing others away.
Relationships: Eret & Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III, Eret & Skullcrusher (How to Train Your Dragon), Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III & Toothless, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III/Astrid Hofferson
Series: Eret, Son of Eret Learns to Believe He Deserves Happiness [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1737289
Comments: 5
Kudos: 31





	Reticient Dignity

**Author's Note:**

> I'm Sorry. I just needed something like this to happen between the two of them and thought this up!

Eret, Son of Eret, had never been someone to sit in one place for too long, always sailing into the wild blue yonder and fighting those beasts or other sailors that got in his way; a sedentary life would be the end of him and his aching wanderlust that Drago had cured by giving him that beauty of a ship, an eager crew and the simple task of capturing every dragon he saw and returning every so often with a bounty that would make even the best of dragon hunters weak in the knees. This was why Eret was the best dragon hunter. He had an insatiable appetite to keep moving and (eventually) one for hunting dragons, never being satisfied with the amount he had because Drago deserved only the best. Eret had learned that lesson well. 

He wouldn’t be caught dead living the rest of his days in some village surrounded by people only satisfied by the food in front of them and the houses that surrounded them. The very thought made him want to vomit. And yet, here he was, surrounded by people satisfied with only what they had, never wanting more. Though his stomach still violently churned, only for a different reason. 

These people had no reason to trust him, as he had, in fact, accidentally influenced the death of their previous chief, kidnapped their dragons and almost got every one of them killed. They showed their distrust and wariness well by having him work on more secluded tasks where he was less likely to “cause an accident” and get someone injured or killed, and most of the time he was watched by some strong guard he could easily take down if he wanted to. But every look they gave him, or lack thereof, pushed him further and further away and handed him one more reason to steal a boat in the middle of the night and never look back. 

And by the gods how he wanted to. It would be so easy; sneaking around until he got to the shore, grab one of their many boats behind a sentry’s back and use the winds to carry him off to some faraway place where he could gather up a new crew and sail to wherever they felt like. That reoccurring daydream he often had during a particularly boring day caused his heart to pound in excitement and that brought that little ghost of a voice back to the centre of his mind. Just leave. Get a boat and get out! They’ll be happy to see me gone anyway, I’m just a burden on their resources. What happened to the self-sufficient Eret, Son of Eret? My father would be ashamed to share a name with someone like me: too weak to even live my fantasies. However, he always shut it off, shook his head to physically dismantle the dreams. And it was all because of that stupid look of pure joy Hiccup gave him every morning, as if he was saying “I’m happy you didn’t leave last night,” It continuously frustrated and scared Eret. Why was Hiccup happy to see him? Did the chief know of his inner turmoil? 

The latter was true, as Hiccup gave him plenty to do and Eret obliged every time because he knew better than to deny authority- he also knew Hiccup wasn’t like Drago, but that didn’t stop his tense form and the stiff nod he gave. The harder chores, the ones no one wanted to do, took his mind off everything, it stopped the incessant voice inside his head. He couldn’t work with it muttering all-day, it would distract him and how was he supposed to prove himself worthy of Berk if the voice kept distracting him?

Probably the most important question he had was why in the gods was Hiccup trying so hard to integrate him into Berk’s community when it was obvious no one and himself wanted him there? But, that didn’t need answering right now, as the countless time’s Hiccup invited Eret over for dinner- with or without Astrid’s occasional agreement-, thanked Eret for any work he had done and always gave a simple wave whenever the two crossed paths cemented him a little deeper to the land. Gave him one less reason to snatch a boat and was the leading cause as to why he started nightly walks to cure his forever restlessness. 

Berk was a gorgeous island, there was no doubting that, so Eret often found himself late at night walking through its dense wood after being woken by one of his frequent nightmares (usually involving a certain man and a certain burning hot iron rod pressed against his pec and held there for hours until he bled.), and he could clear his mind. And soon he was not only going into the wood to recuperate from a nightmare but to stop them from happening altogether. He couldn’t have nightmares if he wasn’t sleeping. 

It was not the best solution, but it worked for now. Eret had plenty of time to explore and try to bond with Skullcrusher (when the dragon was with him at least) and by the time he got back to the main village he’d only have two hours more or less to sleep. So a win-win for Eret in his books. 

“Is he okay?” 

Eret jumped as he heard the voice coming from nowhere, hammer almost dropping to the floor of the roof he was on. His eyes searched their peripheral, finding Astrid walking up to Hiccup, arms on her hips and looking less than pleased. They were both looking at him too. Eret quickly got back to work but kept his ears trained on the two Vikings down below. 

“I don’t know,” Hiccup said, dragging his words out and Eret could practically see him tilt his head. 

“What do you mean ‘you don’t know’? It’s obvious,” Astrid stated. “Something is wrong with him. I saw him this morning and at first, I thought he had gotten into a fight with someone because his eyes were so black! I had to do a double-take and saw how out of it he looked… before I could walk over he disappeared off to Gods knows where!” 

They were talking about him and his face turned pink, ears heating up in embarrassment. He was fine. Nothing was ‘wrong with him’. They didn’t need to burden themselves with him, it’s not like he can’t take care of himself. But I obviously can’t take care of myself… not anymore. 

“I can tell he’s out of it, I’m just not sure why…” Eret could feel their gaze grow stronger and he wanted to recoil, jumping off the roof and taking a run for it grew enticing. But he couldn’t leave, it would be insulting to the efforts Hiccup made, and it would be against everything ingrained in him to insult a leader who gave him so much. He did not want to be ungrateful. Yet-

He whacked the hammer but missed the nail, managing to hit his thumb and he groaned. Going back and forth was no use to him. 

“Eret, you good buddy?” Hiccup was now closer to the house, and while they still had a floor separating them the leader was too close. 

I’m not your buddy he wanted to say, but only nodded and put on a Thalia mask. “I’m fine! Just missed the nail,” Hiccup waited for an explanation without having to say so and Eret looked back down to the roof. “Awful night for me. I’ll sleep better tonight.” 

The chief softened his already tender features and nodded. “Let Bucket or Mulch know whenever you need a break.” 

Eret blanked.

“Let me know whenever you need a break,” Drago had declared, crossing his large arms over each other and spying the young teen in front of him. Drago’s eyes bore into Eret, Son of Eret’s, soul, searching and finding every little sign of relief he put forth. Sagging shoulders, a release of breath, eyes cast down… Drago smiled. 

Eret nodded. “Yes,” his voice squeaked, high pitched and so undignified that even a mouse would laugh at his feigned attempts to seem bigger than he was. 

“Yes, what?” Drago snarled. 

“Yes, Drago,” Eret fiddled with a piece of a loose floorboard as his Captain walked away chuckling in a way that had the young hunter's muscles tense and all sense of relaxation he managed to find in those few words disappeared as quickly as they had come. He no longer believed those words, that Drago was only testing how weak he could be by hovering the fantasy of a break over his head and promising a false future. But as his muscles ached and his mind was slowing he knew he would have to take the chance at some point. 

His father had always called him observant. Eret hadn’t a clue what that meant until he felt and saw the eyes of every crew member in his vicinity looking at him hungrily and patiently. They were waiting for him to ask Drago for a break, wanting him to do so. That confirmed any suspicions he had of the comfort being false. He even felt his leader growing impatient as the seconds ticked by and Eret still didn’t ask. 

Knowing something would come his way that would leave him aching for hours afterwards, he decided to go for it. Standing up on wobbly, half-fallen asleep joints, he made his way over to the terrifying man who greeted him with lit-up eyes and a soft smile which jutted out sharply. 

“Young Eret?” Eret winced at Drago’s warm voice and sucked in a breath.

“Drago,” he looped his thumps through his leather belt and gripped at it, massaging the rough material to ease his tense body. “I was just…” 

Drago waited for a few eons before asking: “You were ‘just’ what, boy?” he used that name so endearingly in a way that made him want to throw up. 

“If I could take a break?” his words came out short of a mumble, and he could’ve fooled himself into thinking Drago hadn’t heard and his mind began to race with excuses so he could run off back to work. 

But Drago didn’t work like that and his wicked smile grew, almost splitting his face in half. It was clear the man wasn’t made to smile. “What did you say?” he ordered.

“If I- if I could take a break…?” 

Drago barked out an ugly laugh. “Did you hear him?” the crew had already been watching, clenching and clenching their fists. “Ere, Son of Eret,” he cringed as his name was so openly mocked, said as if it meant nothing. “Needs to take a break and you know what happens then?” Drago dipped down close to the boy, his breath almost causing Eret to gag but he kept his gaze locked on those wild eyes. Eret shook his head; he knew what that meant, but he had a feeling that perhaps it would be better to fake it. After all, everything else was fake, wasn’t it?

The pain didn’t scare him, it was the mere shock of it all and soon his ass was pressed against the splintering wood. He wanted to curse, shit, fuck, bitch- another whack stopped his thoughts and soon everything sped up tenfold. Kicks, punches, burns. All of it. His gut and back took most of the punishment and then something shiny caught his sight. And soon he was face to face with the largest sword he had ever seen, it twisted and coiled around itself. The sword was made to not come back out unless intently forced and just as quickly as he saw it, it was buried deep in his thigh. 

Eret jolted up from the straw cot he slept on with a scream, his arms wavering about as if he had no bones and his legs kicking out in all different directions. A scream died in his already raw throat. He leaned back against the wooden wall, heaving with a hand against his racing heart to calm himself down. A whimper came from the left corner of the room and Eret turned sharply, taking the small dagger he found out from under his pillow and holding it up. The source of the noise came sauntering forward, the green and gold scales deep and mystic in the night. 

“Skullcrusher?” Eret asked, adrenaline filtering away. The dragon nodded once and moved up to Eret, placing its giant armoured head under his arm. “You here…?” he knew the dragon couldn’t respond, at least not verbally, and he was still having trouble at picking up the different signals he was given. 

The large beast moved away and looked pointedly towards the door. “Up for a fly around then, lad?” Eret softly questioned, already knowing the answer and got out of bed, grabbing his gilet and strapping the saddle on. He didn’t question how Skullcrusher got in, the dragon seemed to have his ways of getting where he wanted to be, and he was here now. The catcher wouldn’t have to stew in his nightmare alone now. 

After leaving the bungalow they took off into the night, soaring up and up until they were well above viewing distance before cruising around. It was custom for this to happen when things got too tough; as if Skullcrusher knew when the worst of the nightmares would hit. The dragon was gentler too, while usually, he enjoyed a rough flight- chasing down anything faster than his top speed- on nights like this everything slowed down. 

Once above the first set of clouds did the tears start to fall. Not all at once, but gradually, until Eret was nothing more bawling incoherent mess. “I was stupid-” he coughed out. “Gods, I was an absolute moron… Why didn’t I leave?” he asked the clouds. “Why didn’t I just take a boat and leave? I could’ve easily left… So easily. And yet I was nothing but a coward.” 

Nothing has changed. He cast his eyes towards the sea, following the riptide. I’m the same coward. The same stupid boy who can’t leave when he knows it’s good for him. It’ll be good for them as well. After all, who wants a dragon snatcher living with dragons? It’s just a matter of time before someone new comes and whisks me away to hunt them again. 

A sharp tussle brought him out of his head, and the dragon grunted in approval when Eret retightened his grip. “Sorry about that…” he sighed and Skullcrusher whimpered again, sensing what was going through Eret’s thoughts. “Yeah, I… I don’t know, boy. I don’t know what to do.” 

“Then let me try to help you.” 

Eret screamed an octave he had never reached before, grabbing the dagger tucked in his belt and holding right up to the chief and his Nightfury. They both paused for a second, their respective dragons flying at each other's pace, and then Eret tucked his knife away. “Good Gods, Hiccup-” he stuttered. “You just about gave me a heart attack, right there!” 

Hiccup gave an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.”  
“Then what are you doing out here?” 

“I could say the same to you,” Hiccup raised his eyebrows at Eret, who looked away. 

“I couldn’t sleep, is all,” don’t tell him, I can’t tell him. “You know how it gets sometimes. I'll sleep better tomorrow’s night.” 

“You know, saying the same thing over and over again doesn’t make something true,” the chief kept his eye right on Eret, and while the dragon hunter kept his gaze strictly in front, the gaze didn’t feel harsh or judgmental like Drago’s did. It felt almost worried, concerned. 

He laughed. “Yeah, I know. But maybe if I keep saying it…”

Hiccup shook his head. “I know what just waking up from a nightmare looks like.” He turned to the chief, finally looking the other in the eye. When he didn’t speak, Hiccup continued. “Five years ago, when I had first met Toothless, my father was relentless at hunting dragons. Trying to have one sniff of their nest was all he dreamed for on most nights, and finally, he found it. I told him not to. I told him it was a bad idea, and yet he still went for it. He wasn’t called Stoic for nothing,” Hiccup sighed, closing his eyes and then opening them up to the stars. “It was a bloody battle. I never knew how many dragons were killed that day, but none of us died- that I'm thankful for. But I almost did. You never forget the feeling of being burned, you never forget the stench of burnt skin. And, you never forget the pain.” A glimmer caught Eret’s eye and he peered down towards the prosthetic that stuck out like a sore thumb amongst the rest of Hiccup’s softer features. “I understand what you’re going through, Eret. Well, not the full story, but it’s not a sign of weakness to talk about it.” 

Eret wanted to speak, he wanted to talk about the nights he spent bloodied because he was the weaker one, the other nights he spent trying to toughen himself up, the nights he partook in beating the younger crew into manhood. But yet, the ice cube that choked his words wouldn’t let it past. “That sounds dreadful. I’m sorry that happened to you.” 

“Eret, please. Save your words for talking about what happened, so that you can get past whatever it was.” 

“There’s nothing to get past, Hiccup,” Eret smiled. Go away, please, before I let everything slip past. “I’m sorry if I woke you up when I was leaving. But, as I said, I just couldn’t sleep. I’ll sleep better tomorrow.” 

“Gods- no you won’t! You won’t ever sleep better if you keep sweeping everything under the rug and then stepping on it when you walk past!” Hiccup was yelling at him, screaming almost. “Eret. No one likes seeing you walk half-asleep every day and then getting brushed off when they try to help! No one likes seeing you get hurt because you can’t focus! No one wants you to collapse or… or worse… I don’t want to lose anyone else when I can help them. So please, Eret, let me help you before I have to set fire to another Oseberg with the name of someone I care about on it.” 

Eret sat silent for a minute, letting Hiccup fully finish his speech and wipe the tears forming from his eyes. “I…” the chief tilted his head. “I didn’t know people could ever care so deeply about someone who tried to kill them.” 

“Well, let’s just say we see something in you. And you’ve proved yourself of good intention, we can’t let you go now.” 

“I’m sorry,” a salty tear dripping down to his chin. “Gods, I’m sorry.” 

“You have nothing to be sorry for.” 

They never did get to the talk. Only a few observations on interesting rock structures or stories that had been created to explain certain patches of land. “That was where my father took me when I was a child,” Hiccup said, his face melancholic and eyes distant. “He told me about Berk and how we Vikings stumbled across it…” 

“You miss it.”

“Yeah… Everything was much simpler back then.” 

Eret couldn’t respond to that, the ice cube forming in his throat and stopping all his words from coming out. Nothing was ever simple when I was a kid. He found himself split in two again, both wanting to vomit his childhood up to Hiccup and another not wanting to bother him. They’re going to kick me off sooner or later. No reason to admit everything to him. 

Hiccup looked at him for long enough and Eret realized that he had been staring at the chief and looked away. “It was hard for you, I’d guess. Growing up under Drago.” 

“I don’t want to talk about that,” he worked to form the words, moving his mouth as if it was too cold to speak. I don’t want to think about it. I hate thinking about it. It took everything to not agree.

It was left at that. A comfortably tense silence that rang in his ears like a bell, but the familiarity kept him from talking; only humming in agreement when Hiccup said something mundane about the clouds or stars. 

Landing on the ground, they both hopped off their respective dragons and Hiccup walked in front, sitting on a ledge and staring out into the open. He patted a spot next to him and Eret obliged, he sighed as the slowly rising sun warmed his cold cheeks. 

“I know you want to leave.”

Eret turned sharply to Hiccup, eyes wide and mouth turned down in a frown. “How…?”

“We’re a lot more alike than you think. I’ve had days where I just wanted to take Toothless and fly off, never looking back. Sometimes, it just all gets too much- trying to live up to the legacy my father left behind, trying to lead an entire village of Vikings who already changed their beliefs. I feel like I’m always asking for too much and doing too little in return, but my friends, Astrid especially, kept my head up for me. I don’t know where I’d be without them. They’re my home.”

The hunter looked back towards the sea. “I understand what you’re saying… I just- I can’t,” he huffed, trying to swallow the ice cube in his throat. “I can’t say anything.” 

Hiccup nodded as if he knew exactly what Eret was saying. And, for some reason, his chest unwound some of the tension it held. “Like someone is choking you,” Eret said nothing, only nodding, and the chief continued talking. “Listen, Eret, we can be your home too. We can keep your head up when you can’t, please don’t feel that you have to take all of this on your own.”

“I’ve never relied on people before, I’ve always kept everything all inside. It’s just more stress on everyone else.”

“It’s not going to be stressful for anyone. And it won’t burden us, trust me,” Hiccup added as Eret opened his mouth to retort. “You can talk to me.” 

Eret intentionally and unintentionally avoided Hiccup for the next few days, taking up every new opportunity to help that came his way. He even resorted to seeking out new jobs from Bucket and Mulch, this did lead to a new questioning look when he came back to them after a few hours, sweaty and panting. “You know, rebuilding Berk isn’t a one-man task,” Mulch said. The ice cube in Eret’s throat melted only slightly.

“I… like to help out where I can.” 

“You’re a good man, Eret, but I can’t keep having you work yourself to death at the end of every night.” 

“It helps me sleep at night.”

“It’s obviously not working, kid,” Mulch looked pointedly at Eret’s eyes, which continually held those black bags under them. “Get some rest, okay?”

Mulch wasn’t budging now and despite Eret wanting to push for another job, to give a different excuse, wanting to give the truth, he nodded and left. He walked numbly away, feeling again like he was floating rather than stumbling up and up a hill. His mind was blank as he floundered forward with the intent of a brainless drunk. Within the blink of an eye, he found himself face to face with a wooden door. And not just any wooden door…

Eret was about to make his escape as it opened up, and he was right in front of an equally surprised Hiccup. “Eret?” he remarked, eyebrows shooting up. “Hi…! I’m sorry, I wasn’t expecting you. I’m just about to head out, but if you need something I can try to help. Did you need something?” the chief spoke a mile a minute and the hunter had a hard time keeping up. 

After registering that the chief was waiting for an answer he coughed, trying to get past the growing ice cube. “I…” nothing wanted to come up. I should leave. I need to leave. I’m sorry. I-

“Did you want to come in?” 

Eret could only nod curtly and Hiccup moved aside for the hunter to come inside. He followed Hiccup around until they were both seated at a table, his own hands wringing together nervously. “I’m sorry to’ve interrupted you.” 

“Don’t be sorry,” Hiccup reassured with a smile. “This has been long overdue anyway.” 

“Yeah. I guess it is overdue.” 

Nothing was said for several minutes; Eret trying to gather up the courage to say something and also gather up his thoughts to say something coherent, while Hiccup politely waited with a soft smile and equally soft eyes. 

I can’t say it, I never should have come. Yet Hiccup’s warm gaze only melts the ice cube that had grown to the point of choking him and tears started to form in his eyes, he sniffed. “I know you’re not like him. You’re kind, you’re a good person, but I can’t talk to you and every time I look at you I see him… Not you as him, but your shadow is his. Your words are his.” 

Hiccup nodded, keeping quiet and allowing Eret to continue. “And… I’ve been having nightmares. I’m not over it. Every night I feel his strikes against me, his voice haunts me. Memories that I’ve tried so hard to bury six feet under have popped back up and I can’t ignore them anymore. It’s… I never would’ve had these nightmares under Drago’s iron fist and now that I’m here they’re too much to handle. I can’t sleep, I can’t think… I can’t do anything. I’m sorry, Hiccup.” 

The chief shook his head. “Don’t be sorry for this, bad memories aren’t a weakness. I am not going to hold nightmares against you. In fact, I’m really glad that you trust me enough to tell me this, it can’t be easy to deal with. Sure, I understand your memories being turned against you, but I’ve never dealt with what you’ve had to deal with growing up,” Eret looked down to the table, twiddling his thumbs and picking at his skin. “This isn’t a weakness, Eret. You’re brave for even talking about this.” 

“I haven’t been very brave then,” Eret tried to joke, only getting a strong look from Hiccup.

“Bravery doesn’t come overnight, it’s something you build up.”

“I didn’t even mean to come here.”

“But you did.” 

“You opened the door before I could leave.”

Hiccup shook his head again. “And yet here you are, opening up to me. You could’ve chosen to stay quiet. Instead, you talked to me; that’s bravery.”

“You have a weird definition of bravery.”

“Well, if you think bravery is hiding your problems under your pillow and destroying yourself, you’ve also got a weird definition of bravery.”

They shared a moment of silence, Eret occasionally sniffing and trying to ignore his racing mind. “Thank you,” he spoke after an eternity. “I don’t… this isn’t going to be a regular thing, I can’t do that.”

“But if you ever need to talk, you know where I live. And I’m certain the others will agree with me too. You don’t need to rush this, take it at your own pace. You can talk about one little thing at a time, or even the weather if you need to. The others and I have been wanting to talk to you for ages but we’ve let it slide- you needed the time to get adjusted, obviously still do so don’t feel required to talk if you’re not comfortable,” Hiccup rattled on, stopping himself and smiling awkwardly, Eret returned the smile.

“I’ll keep that in mind. Thank you, Hiccup.” 

“It’s no problem at all,” the chief looked outside, the sun was setting, a soft orange hue lit up the pine trees off in the distance. “Did you want to stay for dinner? Astrid’s bringing something from the hunt she went on with a few others, so while I’m not sure what I’m cooking up, I can cook pretty well if I do say so myself.”

Eret nodded. “Sure. Astrid and I will be your judges.” 

“Don’t tell her you said that, I don’t need two people conspiring against my food!” Hiccup yelled in mock-anger, shoving a finger up to his lips and shushing. 

The hunter laughed and held one hand up, and the other behind his back trying to look as truthful as possible. “Of course, I definitely won’t say a thing to Astrid. Cross my heart.” 

“Liar. I know your tricks.” 

“Yeah, yeah you do,” Eret smiled, then yawned. “I’m not going to stay too late… No after-dinner chats. Sorry about that.” 

“All good. You need all the rest you can get, a full cooked meal will help with that,” Hiccup left out their talk entirely and Eret widened his smile. 

“It will. I'll sleep better tonight.” And for once, Eret felt that to be true.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Please feel free to leave any constructive criticisms you have, it really helps me improve my writing as someone who has hopes for publishing a novel one day. :)


End file.
